Micrometer caliper



Oct. 26, 1937. A. BROWN i MICROMETER CALIPER Filed Nov. 14, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet-l INVENTOR ATTORNEY Oct. 26, 1937. A. BROWN 2,096,956

MICROMETER CALIPER Filed Nov. 14, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.

INVENTOR mwmw BY /nazj QQVQZZWL.

ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 2.6, 1937 para para 'r rei Claims.

enable all micrometric measurements to be as-V certained by the sense of feeling exclusively, and Without the necessity of dials, dial graduations, 0r `other marking7 thus insuring both speed of operation and extending the eld of use of micrometer calipers.

Further objects are to attain the above re-` sults in a structure facile to assemble and disassemble, and inexpensive to construct.

Other objects and advantages will herein be adverted to and be apparent to those skilled in the art.

To the above ends primarily my invention consists in such novel parts and combinations thereof as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings which are a Dart of this specification, and in which is shown merely a preferred form of embodiment oi' my invention,

Figures l, 2, and 3 are a side elevation, a top plan View, and a rear end elevation respectively of my novel device,

Figure 4, an enlarged fragmentary plan View of the same with the clamping retaining nut of the stop disk removed,

Figure 5, a plan View similar to that of Figure 4 showing the operating parts in a second position,

Figure 6, a top plan view of the handle detached,

Figure 7, a bottom plan view of the operating member, and

Figure 8, a side elevation of my micrometer l partially in section taken on line 8 3 of Figure 2.

In the drawings S is the thimble, 9 the barrel, Ill the screw or spindle, and i i the frame, inclusive of the anvil portion i2 or" the frame, of a common type oi micrometer caliper of any usual or preferred construction provided with the usual barrel scale i3 and thimble scale Ii.

A handle il' is formed with a body portion I8 and a forwardly extending lug ,portionY i9 provided with a vertical longitudinally extending slot 2U forming resilient clamping sections or earsl 2l internally recessed, aL mi, to receive a portion of the frame li to .which the ears are securely clamped by screws 2i! passing transversely through the sections. The handle il may be formed integrally with the frame il if preferred. 5

Ihe body the handleV is provided with a iinger hole 26 for admitting the index iinger of the operator to grasp' the device, Above the hole is a vertical bore 2l to loosely receive the shank 28 of an, actuating member 29, Whose head 3@ 10 includes an upper lateral tapering portion 3l provided in this instance with a yseries of index numerals 32, ten in number, while the lower late eral portion of the head peripherally milled as at 36. The bottom of the head is flat and is o provided with an annular series oi equally interspaced cavities 36, in this case ten in number, adapted when the member 29 is manually turned by the operators thumb, to successively register f with a detent or pawl 38 consisting of a ball'39 supported by a helical spring lill in a vertical recess lil in the upper portion of the handle.

Fixed to or integral with the head of the operating member 29 is a pinion i2 meshing with peripheral teeth i3 upon a segmental arm 44 pivoted to the barrel 9 through an opening 4t in the end of the arm opposite the teeth. 'Ihe arm 44 slidably rests upon a vertical extension` or lug 48 on` the body of the handle, and is provided with a transversely disposed arcuate slot 139." There are upturned lateral lugs Si@ upon the segmental arm it adjacent the ends of the slot i9. Through the slot loosely passes a stud 5l whose lower end 52 is threaded in an opening 54 in the lug 48 and Whose threaded upper end 55 carries a check nut 5l adapted to engage 1Lhe upper face of a stop disk 58 sup-ported by a ilange 59 upon an intermediate portion of the stud, and having a central opening til to loosely re- 40 ceive the stud. By tightening the nut 5l the disk 58 is clamped to the ange 55 in any desired position of circular adjustment. Y

In detail the disk 59 includes two oppositely offset segmental portions 52, each comprisingra series 54, in this case of five, stepped peripheral contact faces t5 having ten thousandths indicated by the index numerals 2, t, t, and l0. Each step te oi each series decreases successively in depth from the outermost to the innermost end of its segmental portion, depth being such as to cause the diierence in movement of the arm M allowed by the adjacent face 65 to correspond to an adjustment of the spindle l@ one ten. thQusandth of an. inch. The presence of the said index numerals while convenient is not imperative.

Fixed to the segmental arm or lever All intermediate the slot 49 and its pivoted end, and midway its width, is an upright post S3 provided with a transversely curved longitudinal slot 69.

Fixed by friction to the thimble 8 of the micrometer, or integral therewith, is a collar 1l provided at its lower end with a peripheral flange i2, and at its upper end, with an external thread 'i3 adapted to engage an internal thread 'lli upon a clamping nut 15 adapted to bear against a sleeve 1l.' Integral with the sleeve is a resilient or yieldable radial arm or nger 18 having its free end slidably registering in the slot 69, as well as slightly transversely curved.

In setting my device, the nut 'l5 is loosened and the thimble is by the operators thumb and finger rotated the desired extent to enable, by the cooperation of the barrel scale and thirnble scale, the determination of the thousandths of an inch sought. The setting is continued by seeking the residual measurement in ten thousandths of an inch, which operation is effected by rotating with the thumb the actuating member 29 from its zero position a distance equal to the number of ten thousandths required either in excess of or less than the thousandths already ascertained from the barrel and thimble graduations, the direction f movement of the actuating member being dependent upon the operators purpose of effecting either an increase or a diminution of the desired graduations. Y

The manipulation of the actuating member 29 in this setting operation did not move the thimble because of the loosened condition of the nut i5. Now, however, the nut is manually tightened to clamp the member l? into rigid relation with the thimble and post 68, and the setting operation is then continued by returning the actuating member to its zero position, whereby the thimble is rotated to advance or retract the spindle lll the number of ten thousandths required to bring the spindle to a nal position, In effecting the described rotation of the thimble the circular movement of the actuating member 29 imparted through the toothed member 42, a transverse movement to the arm 44, which through the post 68 and arm 18 imparted the necessary impulse to the latter.

The stop disk 58, during the above described setting operation was either entirely removed, or was adjusted to the position shown in Figure 4, wherein the deepest contact faces of the stop disk, namely those adjacent the index numerals il), were opposite the stop lugs 50 so as to in-` sure an unimpeded maximum swing ofthe arm 44 of at least ten ten-thousandths of an inch.

During the above manual turn or swing of the actuating member 29 to its Zero position the operator was enabled to count the number of tenthousandths of an inch covered by the swing instantly and solely by the sense of feeling. This was effected by counting the number of impacts of the detent 3B in the successive cavities 36. The series of index numerals 32 while a ccnvenience, are not necessary.

The presence of the vertical groove 69 in post 68 enables the finger 'I8 to slide looselyV therein during the ascent or descent of the thimble during the setting operation, and facilitates disengagement of the nger from the post when or if disassemblage of ythe parts of my |device is desired.

By virtue of the resiliency of the nger '18, and

of the transverse curvature of the groove te and of the finger 'IS it is possible, by manually turning the thimble 8 with the nut "it tightened, to swing the nger laterally out of engagement with the post 58 whereby coarse adjustments may be made Without disturbing the setting.

While the graduations i3 and lli on the barrel and thimble, and the numerals on actuating member 2S are a convenience, they are not indispensable as my device can be set to any predetermined dimension without their use. This feature is of value particularly to persons with faulty vision. My device is set without the aid of the graduations or numerals as follows.

With the linger 'E8 engaging the groove 959 in post 68, nut 'l5 is loosened andthe thimble turned until the end of spindle i@ comes in contact with anvil i2, the setting then being Zero. Nut 'l5 is then tightened vand the thimble turned in the opposite direction, in which operation the finger 'i8 becomes disengaged from post 58 and encounters post 58 at each revolution of the Vthimble` Through the medium of he successive contacts of finger 18 with the post 58 the number of revolutions of the thimble is felt and counted by the operator. The total axial movement of the spindle l0 is thus known from the number of revolutions of the thimble and the pitch or lead of the micrometer caliper screw which is in this instance twenty-iive thousandths. The residual number of thousandths in the predetermined dimension, if any, are obtained by means of actuating member 29. Nut 'l5 is loesened and disk 53 either entirelyremoved or is adjusted to permit a full revolution of actuating member 29 as shown in Figure 4. Member 29 is next rotated in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed from the top, and until one lug 5i! Comes in contact with disk 5B, if the latter is present, or, if absent, with the stud ange 59 whose diameter is equal to the minimum diameter of the member'GZ. This rotation of actuating member 29 did not move the thimble because of the loosened condition of nut 15. Now, however, nut 'i5 is manually tightened and actuating member 29 rotated in the opposite Vdirection until the opposite lug 50' comes in contact with disk 58 which operation rotates the actuating member one revolution and the thimble one twenty-fth of a revolution corresponding to an axial movement of spindle I0 of one thousandth of an inch. This operation of nut and actuating member 2S is repeated until spindle l E has been adjusted the residual number of thousandths.

The residual number of ten thousandths in the predetermined dimension, if any, are obtained by loosening nut 'l5 and rotating actuating member 29, again in a counter-clockwise direction, to a central position as in Figure 4. This is done by counting the number of cavities 36 encoun-v tered by detent 33 until one half the total number of cavities 35 have been encountered, in this case five. This rotation of actuating member Z9 is then continued until an additional number of cavities 3&5 have been encountered corresponding to the residual number of ten thousandths required. Nut 'i5 is now tightened and pin 29 rotated in a clockwise direction runtil the same number of cavities have been encountered, thus bringing actuating member 29 back to the central position and completing the setting, all without the use of the operators eyes.

When it is desired to employ my device to perform the function of a limit gage the setting is as' follows after the above described stepsof nding in ten thousandths the mean dimension of the work have been taken. The nut l is rst loosened and the ldisk 53 manually turned to 5 bring the particular contact faces oi the stop disk indicating the maximum limits or allowance, measured in ten thousandths, into the path or" thestop lugs 52, :and the nut 5i tightened. ln Figure 5 the contact faces adjacent the index numerals d are shown so positioned, the maxilimit cr allowance in this instance being four ten thousandths of an inch. rThe operation of the set parts is eiected by turning the actuating member 29 from its position shown in Figure 4 to its position shown in Figure 5 thereby bringing one of the lugs 5t against one of the two contact faces adjacent one index numerals, thus indicating the number of ten thousandths of an inch added to the ten thousandths already Obtained from the original setting. in this instance the counting of the impacts of the detent upon the actuating member is unnecessary.

Those skilled in the art will readily realize that the particular mechanism herein shown may be o variously changed and modied without departlg from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing the advantages thereof, and that the disclosures herein are illustrative only, and my invention is not limited thereto. 3o I claimt* i. in a micrometer caliper, the combination with the thimble, barrel, spindle and frame, of a hfrdle upon the frame, an actuating member rote a` y mounted in the handle, teeth upon the 3o member, an arm pivotally engaging the barrel at e segmentally disposed teeth upon the end ci the arm engaging the first teeth, and s operatively connecting the thimble with the am whereby movement of the actuating 40 means "cduces a corresponding movement of the .,Jle.

f secured to the barrel, a` post upon the resilient finger mounted on the thimble the post, and rotary means on the engaging the for actuating the arm. micrometer caliper, the combination e thimble, barrel, spindle and frame, of 1 on the frame, a detent in the handle, ng member Aivotally mounted in the adjacent the detent provided with a pluof ci rvilineally arranged cavities adapted 'ely receive the detent, peripheral teeth n ber, a movable arm pivotaliysupat end by the barrel, a curved series of teeth 'ce other end oi the arm. meshing with the iin.J t and means for connecting the l with the tniinble,

fcrometer caliper, the combination le, barrel, spindle and frame, of a son the frame, an actuating memberv rotatably mounted upon the hanele provided with peripheral teeth, an arm pivotally engaging the barrel and provided Awith peripheral teeth meshing with he first teeth, a post upon the arm, a collar :tast to the thimble provided at its upper end with an external thread, a lateral flange upon the lower end of the collar, a sleeve lo se on the collar and supported by the ange, a lateral 1in-ger upon the sleeve engaging the post, and a clamping nut resting upon the sleeve and proed with thread engaging the rst thread.

6. n'iicrometer caliper, the combination with bie, barrel, spindle and frame, oi a handle upon the trame, a segmental arm pivotally attached one end to the barrel and provided intermediate its length with transverse slot, lateral upon the'arm, teeth upon the free end of the arm, a stud upon the handle projecting loosely through the slot, a disk upon stud above the arm in the path oi the lugs, a nut upon the stud engageable with the disk, an

member loosely mounted in the handle w peripheral teeth meshingwith teeth, operative connections between Vi andthe thimble.

7. In a micrometer the combination with the thimble, barrel, spindle and frame, ci a handle upon the frame, a segmental arm piv- Mjlly attached at one end tothe barrel vand pro-v vided intermediate its` length with a transverse 8. En a micrometer caliper, the combination with the tliimb-le, barrel, spindle and frame, of a handle upon the frame, a segmental arm` pivotally attached at one end to the barrel and pro-v vided intermediate its length with a transverse slot, late-ral lugs upon the arm, means for connecting the arm to the thimble, a stud upon the body projecting looselythrough the slot, a radially adjustable stop disk upon the stud in the plane of the lugs comprising two oppositely 01T- set segmental portions, and rotatable means upon the handle for swinging the arm.

9. In a micrometer caliper, the combination with the thimble, barrel, spindle and frame, of a handle upon the frame, a segmental arm pivotally attached at one end to the barrel and provided intermediate its length with a transverse slot, lateral lugs upon the teeth upon the unpivoted ent. of the means for connecting the arm to the thimble, a upon the body projecting loosely through the slot, a radially adjustable stop disk. upon the stud the plane i the lugs comprising two oppositely offset segmental portions, each provided with stepped peripheral contact faces, a detent in the handle, an actuating member pivotally mounted in the handle provided with cavities adapted to successively receive the detent when the member is rotated, and peripheral teeth upon the member engaging the rst teeth.

l0. In a micrometer caliper, the combination the thimble, barrel, spindle and frame, of a handle comprising an upwardly extending body, and horizontal clamping earsV embracing the frame, clamping screws in the ears, said body being provided in its lower portion with a finger opening, and in its upper portion with a vertical bore, a vertical extension upon the top of the body portion adjacent the bore, an actuating member comprising a shank loose in the bore and a head resting on the body including a pinion xed to the head, a segmental arm pivotally attached at one end to the barrel and resting upon the extension, peripheral teeth upon its other end meshing with the pinion, and operative connections between the arm and the thimble for rotating the thimble in response to movement of the arm.

11. In a micrometer caliper, the combination with the thimble, barrel, spindle and frame, of a handle upon the frame, an arm pivotally engaging the barrel at one end, manually movable means upon the frame for moving the arm, and means for detachably connecting the thimble to the arm.

12. In a micrometer caliper, a body comprising n a frame, a h'andle and a barrel, a segmental arm pivotally supported on said body, and provided with a transverse slot and withV peripheral teeth, lateral lugs upon the arm, a stud upon the body projecting loosely through the slot, a stop disk upon the stud in the plane of the lugs, and an actuating member loosely mounted in the handle and provided with teeth engaging the rst teeth.

13. In a micrometer caliper, a body comprising a frame, a barrel, and a thimble, and adjustment means comprising a lever pivoted on said body, an actuating member mounted on said body and operatively connected to said lever, means for limiting movement of the lever to a predetermined distance, and means operatively connecting said lever to said thimble to rotate said thimble on movement of said actuating member.

14. In a micrometer caliper, a body comprising a frame, a barrel, and a thimble, and adjustment means comprising a lever pivoted on said body, an actuating member mounted on said body and operatively connected to said lever, means for limiting movement of the lever to a predetermined distance, said means including an adjustable stop element, and means operatively connecting said leverto said thimble to Vrotate said thimble on movement of said actuating member.

15. In a micrometer caliper, the combination With the thimble, barrel, spindle and frame, of a handle upon the frame, a laterally movable arm pivotally secured at one end to said barrel, a post upon the arm provided with a longitudinal slot, a resilient nger supported by the thimble slidably engaging the post in the slot, and rotary means carried by the handle and engaging the other end of the arm for actuating the arm.

ARTHUR BROWN.

CTL 

